


Good Flicks and Better Company

by LiterallyThePresident



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Fluff, Jaal Reacs To: Human Movies, M/M, movie marathon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 10:58:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14567532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Liam and Jaal have a movie marathon





	Good Flicks and Better Company

“Jaal?”

“Yes, Liam?” Jaal smiled as the human approached him. Liam smiled a little nervously.

“You busy tomorrow?” Liam asked, clearly trying to sound casual. 

“I have nothing terribly pressing. Just work.” he replied, “Why?”

“I was thinking.” Liam said, “We should do something tomorrow, just you and me. A day to just... watch movies together.”

“Watch movies?” Jaal tilted his head, “Just the two of us?” 

“Yes.” Liam nodded, “We’d probably focus on human movies, since I couldn’t really explain everything about salarian or asari movie references and junk. I mean, we could do those movies, of course. But it’d probably be best if we invited the others if we did that.”

“Hm.” Jaal pondered inly for a moment, “I think I would prefer your company. Alone.”

“Great.” Liam smiled, a weight seemingly lifting from his shoulders, “Awesome. I’ll prepare the list. It’ll be great, you’ll love them.” 

“This sounds wonderful.” Jaal smiled, “What time should I arrive?”

 

—-

 

_“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”_

 

Jaal laughed brightly, slapping his knee, “How amusing!” Liam laughed with him, leaning back on the couch. They were warm and cozy, and Jaal felt the stress of the last few weeks melting away. The vid had been fantastic, the human drink in his hand was tasty, and Liam was warm and happy at his side. It seemed Liam was having more fun now then he ever had watching the vids alone, if the light in his eyes was any indication.

 

—-

 

_“I’m ready for my close up, Mr. Demille.”_

 

“That was... interesting.” Jaal smiled, inclining his head, “Unexpected. I like it.”

“Yeah?” Liam turned his face to him, seeming pleased.

“Yes. The theme of obsession...”

“Prevalent in a lot of human vids.” Liam laughed, “Like, a _lot_. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the concept of obsession. Sunset Boulevard, Twilight Zone, Psycho, Black Swan, Binder, Pet Semetary, Blasto: Citadel Noir. It’s just so interesting.“

“Most children are obsessed with wild animals.” Jaal chuckled.

“Yeah, well. Most kids didn’t grow up with a mum stuck in the twenty first century.” Liam chuckled, “This next movie actually deals with obsession. It’s a classic. _The_ classic. You ready?”

“I’m ready.” Jaal chuckled. He decided that he liked human movies.

 

—-

 

_“They’ll see. And they’ll know. And they’ll say, ‘Why, she wouldn’t even hurt a fly...’”_

 

Jaal rescinded his previous statement.

 

—-

 

_“This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.”_

 

Jaal was clinging to Liam’s arm, trembling slightly, “That was...” he swallowed, “This day has taken something of a dark turn.”

“Alien was my mum’s favorite.” Liam chuckled, “She was a real horror nut. We watched Alien every Christmas eve for years. Sort of a Kosta family tradition.”

“Is Christmas not a family holiday celebrating gift giving, joy, and merriment?” Jaal asked, horrified and perplexed, “Please tell me your family did not show this to you as a child!”

“Nah, she waited until I was thirteen.” Liam laughed, “My family was weird.” Jaal shuddered, shifting closer to Liam.

“Can we just... put in the next vid?” he requested, voice small. If he had nightmares about this, he was going to be so mad.

 

—-

 

Dracula: Dead and Loving It was a welcome shift in mood, and Jaal had barely taken a breath throughout its entirety. His uproarious laughter had made them have to rewind it a few times, but Liam didn’t mind. He smiled widely every time Jaal had laughed, and he’d happily explained every pop culture reference without complaint. Jaal’s laughter seemed to boost his own enjoyment of the vid.

When Jaal breathlessly requested that he send copies of the vid to all his friends and family, Liam had enthusiastically agreed. While he was at it, Jaal saw him add _show Jaal more Mel Brooks vids_ to his notes.

 

—-

 

_“You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to Hell!”_

 

“That statue is an icon. A symbol of culture.” Liam explained, leaning into Jaal slightly, “And seeing it destroyed lends to the crushing realization that this isn’t an alien planet. It never was.”

“I see.” Jaal nodded along, “So, in this vid, humans destroyed themselves? And we only learn that in the last few moments?”

“Yup.”

“You are fond of your twist endings.” Jaal laughed, ruffling his hair fondly. The act earned him a slight flush across Liam’s cheeks. 

 

—-

 

_“I’ll be right here...”_

 

Jaal was crying a little, eyes wet as he brought Liam close with an arm.

“He finally got to go home.” he sniffled, “But he must leave a dear friend. And now Elliot is forever changed.”

“There there.” Liam patted his knee, “It’s alright. You good?”

“It was so beautiful.” Jaal wiped at his eyes, “So beautiful and so sad. Whimsical yet... fulfilling. I loved it.” Liam chuckled and gave him a squeeze.

“It’s okay. I cried too the first few times.”

 

—-

 

_“But above all things, a story about love. A love that will live forever... The end.”_

 

Jaal was openly weeping as Tolouse’ mournful voice sang them into the credits, practically sobbing into Liam’s hair. Liam didn’t seem upset by the fact that he was all but in Jaal’s lap, smiling at the screen with an almost nostalgic look on his face.

“This is my absolute favorite vid.” he sighed wistfully, “It’s my comfort vid. It always cheers me up.”

“She _dies_!” Jaal wailed, “She dies and he is broken! How is this a comfort?”

“It’s not always about the ending.” Liam said, “It’s about the story. It’s so bright and energetic, full of life and beauty and music. I’m not a poet, but that vid makes me want to be one. I can’t sing for shit, but that vid makes me want to sing out loud. It inspires me. And isn’t that what films are supposed to do?”

“I... suppose you’re right.” Jaal sniffled, “That is a unique way of looking at it. You have a way of seeing things. Different. Hopeful. You... make people see things your way.” He was right. The vid had been a beautiful thing of life and vitality, vibrant and magnificent.

“That’s... poetic.” Liam flushed lamely, “Thank you.”

“You are welcome.” Jaal smiled wetly, “Can we watch the next one now?”

 

—-

 

By the time the movies finally ran out, Liam was asleep on his shoulder. Jaal smiled as a newly-freed Emily dissolved into luminous butterflies, his heart light. He’d always loved a hopeful ending. The screen went dark, and Liam’s face was soon illuminated only by the picture above the television. He’d fallen asleep sometime between Black Panther and Nekyia Corridor, and Jaal hadn’t even noticed until his question about Earth’s “super bowl” had gone unanswered.

Jaal smiled, unable to resist running a thumb under his eye. Human eyes... so small, yet ever wide with wonder at the smallest things. So expressive, making up for their lack of bioelectricity, and _beautiful_. He’d never known brown eyes before Liam. He’d only ever seen warm blue, the rare green or hazel, yet never brown. It was the first of many firsts Liam had given him.

Jaal carefully shifted them so he was lying comfortably, draping Liam over him and pulling the blanket to cover them. Liam shifted, mumbling a bit before settling down with a soft ‘get you a Wilson...’”

He took a peek at the list Liam had been making for their next movie day. The titles gave nothing away, at least not to him: Titanic, MP & the Holy Grail, Caribbean Geth Invasion, Romeo + Juliet, Wrongfully Accused, Texas on Palaven, GoTG 1-7... He chuckled a little. From what he had seen, human movies had far too many genres. He would have to make Liam show him more, so he could form a proper opinion. He set the pad aside and closed his eyes, burying his nose in Liam’s hair and idly stroking his back as he drifted off to sleep.

...or not. Skut. Why did Liam have to show him Alien?

**Author's Note:**

> The movies they watched, in order: Back to The Future, Sunset Boulevard, Psycho, Alien, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Planet of The Apes, E.T, Moulin Rouge. And then the rest is up to your imagination


End file.
